Sunday Special

An Atlantic City group gave an early Mother’s Day present to local women in need. Princess Inc. packed about 1,000 purses as part of their #packyourpurse event that first aimed to fill about 600 new or gently used purses. Inside were necessities and cosmetics donated by several groups. Princess founders Indra Owens and Automne Bennett have used their group to mentor young girls and have benefits that helped homeless. But for this event, they decided

A cafeteria worker served a student some peace of mind last week when a bomb threat caused anxiety. The bomb threat to the Egg Harbor City Community School turned out to be false, but the fear was real for some children. “This is an evacuation. This is not a drill,” came the warning over the loudspeaker. As teachers and staff worked quickly to calmly evacuate the children, cafeteria worker Tina Lavigna saw a student looking

Three Pleasantville firefighters were honored this weekend for their rescue of a resident from a burning home last year. Capt. Peter Bowker, and Firefighters Stan Kolbe and Gary Guerra were given the 2018 Valor Award by the Professional Firefighters Association of New Jersey for the Jan. 30, 2017, from the home in the 1500 block of Sixth Avenue. Resident suffers severe injuries in Pleasantville fire Upon arrival, the three-story home had heavy flames, according

It took a long time for Domanique Townsend to accept that her little brother was gone. Todd Mitchell was just 13 when he was fatally shot in Pleasantville along with another teen on Dec. 5, 2012. Seeing the boy his loved ones called “Doodie” in a casket changed her, said Townsend, herself just 17 at the time. “I didn’t know how to take it at first, it was tragic,” she said. “I just knew my

James Pressley and Jason Smart-El were hoping to empower 100 local adolescent boys from single-parent homes. But their “Save Our Boys” event got so much support, they are hoping even more boys will be heading to Young’s Skating Center in Hamilton Township on Tuesday evening. The night out is aimed at boys ages 7 to 15 from single-parent homes. Buses will take the boys to the skating center, where they will get food, two hours

Atlantic City’s women-led Princess Inc. is looking to give help to 600 of the city’s homeless women. The #PackYourPurse initiative is asking for donations of gently used handbags that will be filled with cosmetics and other products that women need but are unable to get. “We want the women to feel loved, respected and know that their circumstance doesn’t stop anyone from helping them meet their needs,” Princess co-founder Automne Bennett wrote in a letter

More than a dozen residents who help the community will be honored with a Gospel concert this month. Elder JP Ministries will give special recognition March 31 at Pleasantville’s Lighthouse Community Church. “These individuals are the humanitarians of our community and we simply pause to say thank you,” said James Pressley, who is holding the event for the second year in a row. Honorees include religious leaders, educators and administrators, local business owners and music

Kyshawn Wyman thinks Atlantic City can be a music industry hub. And as DJ Young Hitta, he’s hoping to help make that happen. “We need to change the culture of the area,” he said. The talent is here, but it’s what happens after the music is made that’s been a hindrance to local artists. He’s looking to answer the question of “What’s next?” “If we had artists in one place coming together, that could be

Atlantic City’s African American Heritage Museum is celebrating Black History Month with a loving and artistic look at Africa. The section of the Noyes Arts Garage in Atlantic City celebrates African-American history all year. But “Back from Mother Africa” is this year’s exhibit for February. “Here in Atlantic City we have something different,” Ralph E. Hunter Sr. told SNJ Today. “We’re just opening a brand new exhibit here (that) opens for Black History Month.” Hunter

Ricardo Belgrave and Ruben Stewart III are looking to promote father-son relationships while working toward a new way to educate the area’s boys. The pair are still trying to make their dream of an Atlantic City-based all-boys school after their charter was rejected last year. They believe the Frederick Douglass School for Boys could still work as a charter school is they reapply next year. If not, they aim to go private in 2020. The